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May 26, 2010 Mechanical Cow, Devine Ranch The Corralitos Wednesday riding group was graciously hosted by the Devine Ranch, and made full use of the facilities including the mechanical cow. This group has experience training on the bicycle-powered flag (aka a plastic bag), but this beast was new to nearly all. The horses who spent some time with it all became accustomed to it, although it was more of a challenge for some. The realistic looking cow runs on an arced track and can be programmed for timed runs of varying difficulty. It makes a lot of noise, and doesn't seem like something a horse should be friends with. As Dave says: This is one way of getting your horse correct to work cattle for Cutting Classes. The Cow Machine has a programmable panel for different degrees of difficulty. Even if you never work your horse on a cow, this is a great way to teach your horse how to stop. Dave on Match Match is a Hackney Horse X Arab, belonging to Gail. He was first introduced to the flag a little over a year ago by Dave, and has seen it a few times since. No one imagined that Match had the natural instincts and athletic ability to hunt down the cow/flag and work it like a pro. It's a little different on this 'beast.'
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First off, introductions. Match has never seen a real cow, much less a mechanical one, although he's familiar with working a flag. Match is allowed to walk up to the 'cow' at his own pace, since he shows no fear. Had he needed to run off, he would have been allowed to get to a comfortable distance and take a good look, then approach at a comfortable pace. Frightened horses can work on the outside of a seasoned horse to get their bearings with the thing. Then a good sniff. A horse might even want to give the thing a little poke, or even a nip. Back off, and let the horse watch and hear the thing move, if he hasn't been watching it work. Dave doesn't make a big deal of it, so it isn't a big deal for Match, either. Match gets a little over-excited, and Dave takes a break to go back into the arena and lope some circles. Match comes back in a better frame of mind to work. . |
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Match has good instincts,
and has one ear on the cow, the other on Dave.
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Make a good turn on the haunches .. .. .. |
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.. .. .. and quietly follow the cow.
Match isn't showing a lot of confidence or interest in working this
cow. |
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Joe Black is becoming known as the Tennessee Cutting Horse. He's just come off the Shawn Perkins Cow Clinic, where he did real well. As pointed out in that article, Joe has no cow in him, so there's a limit to how far he can go with this. But he's more than willing to follow Scott's lead, and Scott is leading well. They've seen this monster machine a couple times before, a year or so ago. Today, Joe is doing his good cow work in a rope halter with the lead rope tied into reins.
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Scott is nicely balanced in the saddle, focused on the cow, and preparing for a stop by shifting his weight back ever so slighly, and lightly picking up the reins. Notice that Joe is watching something off in the distance.
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Scott's leading Joe around with his outside rein and his inside rein is quiet. His inside leg is off, and his outside leg is supporting the rein.
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Joe has made his nice square stop, rocked his weight back on his haunches to prepare for the turn, and is reaching out with his inside foot. Remember that Joe is a 24 year old TWH: this is a lot of sitting down for him! If he weren't a TWH, we'd want to see his head a bit lower, too. Joe has an eye on Scott, but his other one is now on the cow!
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Joe's rocked back and
in the middle of another turn. Scott is balancing Joe with one rein
higher than the other. No chicken-wing elbows, either.
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And again, Scott and
Joe both maintain focus on the cow and Scott leads Joe's head, then
his body, around with the inside rein, supported by the outside leg.
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Krista on Mystic Syd bought Mustang, Mystic, just a year ago. Although Mystic has been briefly introduced to the flag, this is her first experience on the mechanical cow. Because she has virtually no cow experience, Krista is just going to have her slowly follow the cow as it lumbers noisily along it's track. She allows Mystic to work at her own pace, with no regard at all for trying to move with the cow. This isn't about catching or working the cow: it's about giving Mystic a good experience with something very new, so that she'll be more interested in playing next time. |
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Krista asks Mystic
to soften and lower her head just a little.
They're following the cow from a distance behind it, rather than right up at it's shoulder. Safer here. |
They've made
a quiet turn, with no hurry to catch the cow, and turn back in the other
direction.
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It might seem that
Mystic has 'lost' her cow, but that's now what this session is about.
They're just moving along quietly, learning to focus and listen to the
rider, with a 'cow' wandering around, making a lot of mechanical sounds.
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By the end of this brief
session, Mystic is starting to catch on to the game. She has one ear
on the cow, and the other checking in with what Krista might ask next.
The cow has stopped, Mystic has stopped, and Krista is gently asking
her to follow that inside rein around with her nose.
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| Krista@FromStartToFoundation.com |
831-588-6214
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1425
San Marcos Rd. Paso Robles, CA 93446
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